Saginaw Alumni Reunions 2008 and Earlier

There had been a few less formal Saginaw Alumni gatherings in the 1980’s and 1990’s, but the notion of reunions on a more regular basis was hatched in the summer of 2001 by Ira Deming and Curt Heffler in Ira’s living room. Their idea was Saginaw Alums getting together every three years to kibitz and share memories of their good times at Saginaw. The two of them stewarded more formal attempts in 2002 and 2005 but the most ambitious event to date was three years later on the campus of the old place in Oxford, Pa in the fall of 2008.

Alumni reunions really jumped to a new level in this 2008 iteration under the assiduous direction of Ira, Curt, Brian Redman, and Alan Harris. Some 200+ folks showed up from literally every generation that ever attend Saginaw and they enjoyed as much of three days of nostalgic revelry as they could handle in September of 2008. It was like a giant Hill Party with a full crop of the Acropolis in attendance as well.

The common denominator throughout the weekend was catching up with old friends, telling big fish stories, participating in camp style activities, and partying with the help of an ample stock of adult beverages.

The commitment to do this every three years hence was made as people realized how important it was to keep up with those with whom you made lanyards, canoed, swam, and showered in your formative years.

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2 thoughts on “Saginaw Alumni Reunions 2008 and Earlier”

I left this weekend full of Saginaw and its people, but still yearned for more time to go beyond the sparkle-eyed excitement of being there, and “merely”! having fun, and finding, somewhere in the stunning poetry of memory song-words written by our young selves, the utter ripeness of us 17 year-olds, eons ago.

Saginaw always was, and still is, a religious experience. I am filled with gratitude for the gift that I was given–that we all were given– to grow up in “ritual” time where every moment held transformative possibilities. The reunion created this space anew for us, allowing us to open, again, the possibility of transformation as we relived, renewed, repaired our connections to one another.

It was not the Hill or the Acropolis that was ever so important. It was the opportunity, at every moment, to become who we could become. When we returned, year after year, we did not come back to the same place, ever. If it happened right, we were different, and what we gave and what we took from Saginaw was, each time, different. And a time came, for all of us, when we had to leave even this garden. But, as we each, in our own way, wandered in deserts, heading toward our own promised land’s creation, we had within us a reservoir that had been filled by Saginaw. We had within us Eden, because we had been there.

Brian, Ira, and everyone: thank you for opening the gates to the garden once again, for creating Camelot for one brief, shining moment. The weekend flooded my soul with where I began and with all of you who once, as we walked on be-rooted paths together, entwined your arms around me while mine encircled you, allowing us all to say “yes” to what spread itself before us.
Sheri (Lipstein) Lindner

I hope that you are planning to attend our 2017 reunion this September. Every 3 years since 2002 we have returned to “the garden spot of pennsylvania” to reunite with out friends, laugh, play, drink and relive the memories of our youth. We are already anticipating a huge crowd spanning 7 decades of campers and staff. Please save the dates and of course feel free to contact me with any questions…imddpm@aol.com